by:

Cassidy's life has been lonely and full of heartache. Abandoned as an infant, bounced from foster home to foster home. He's never found a place where he's belonged. Then one summer as his life starts to turn around, something happens that changes everything...

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Author's Note:Sorry about taking last week off from posting. I did it in my attempt to create a larger buffer between chapters but in the end that failed. I got caught up in another ongoing project and I didn't even touch Summer Tail. I plan to rectify that as soon as possible. I have a fairly good idea where I want to take this story. Its going to be a shorter one though. That was always my intention here. There will be enough of a resolution that I feel will satisfy most people. Thanks again to Nyssa for her wonderful editing :)

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7.

Something feels wrong…

Opening my eyes, I blinked. Where was I again? It took me a few seconds to register everything. Right, this was a tent. I was here because I turned into a mermaid and I had no clothes. That’s where Chloe came in. She and her boyfriend Lance were on the beach. I found them and she agreed to help me. Which brought me here. Sleeping in a tent with a beautiful blonde surfer girl only mere inches away from me. I should have been excited about that, but I found out last night that I wasn’t attracted to her in the least.

It was pretty unsettling.

It meant something else.

Something I did not want to think about.

Sitting up, I felt the foreign weight on my chest. That was something else I didn’t want to think about. I think the shock of it all wore off sometime last night. In fact, I’m pretty sure it happened the same time I realized I wasn’t attracted to Chloe. We just turned in for the night and she stripped to her underwear, telling me she usually slept that way. I expected to be embarrassed about being so close to an almost naked woman. I even braced for the inevitable hard-on that should have followed. When it didn’t, my new reality came crashing to the forefront. I was a girl now. I had boobs and a...well, not a penis. Everything about my life was going to be very different from now on and I still didn’t know how it happened.

It was a very eye-opening night.

I barely slept.

Just when I finally thought I was asleep, I woke up.

Life sucks.

Though not as bad as going bra-less.

I groaned, feeling the weight.

Why were these so big?

I felt a slight tingle. Then watched in awe as my breasts got smaller. Not tiny small but small enough that they weren’t such a nuisance. I blinked, touching them to make sure I didn’t just see things. It happened though. I don’t know breast sizes, but it was clear they were at a more manageable size. Like last night. I thought I’d imagined Chloe’s clothes shrinking to fit my body. Now I realized that it wasn’t the clothes but me. Somehow I’d managed to make my body fit her clothes. Whatever I did must have worn off last night while I slept because things felt uncomfortable again.

There was another tingle and whatever discomfort I got from the clothes was gone.

Well then…

Neat trick.

What did that make me?

I was clearly some kind of mermaid thing. That was pretty obvious what with the tail, webbed fingers and the underwater breathing. It felt like something right out of a Disney cartoon, minus the purple seashells on my new boobs. My boobs. That was still something I never thought I’d say, let alone think. Taking a peek down at my new chest, it was hard not to ignore them. It was hard not to ignore any of it. Something was wrong with me, something I’m not sure anyone could explain. What happened to me did not happen to normal people, and yet here I was, suddenly a girl.

It made no sense.

Movement drew my attention away from my chest. I turned and saw Chloe begin to stir. I silently cursed. I was hoping to be out of here before she woke up. I didn’t want to be rude, but the longer I stayed with them, the more lies I would have to tell. It was never good to keep on lying. Especially for me because I was no good at it. I was lucky to get this far on the ones I told last night. As it was, if I continued to stay here, eventually one of them was going to figure out how stupid I sounded.

She sat up, giving me a friendly look.

“You been watching me?” she asked with a friendly smile.

“No. Just woke up. Trying to work out what I’m going to do next.”

She brushed some hair from her face.

It was a great face. I never really stopped to appreciate her last night. She was gorgeous. Bright green eyes, pale blonde hair, a small smattering of freckles across her nose. She was the type of All-American girl one might expect to find on the beach. Mother Nature had been kind to her too. Though not as kind as she was to me. After all, her clothes were too small for me.

She gave me a funny look. “Did my clothes fit you like that last night?”

“Yes,” I lied, turning away.

Had she noticed?

I’m not even sure how I shrunk to fit them.

All of this was new and scary.

It was getting scarier by the minute too.

As was the awkward silence.

It was thankfully interrupted by Lance shouting for us. Chloe left the tent first; I crawled out a few seconds later. As soon as I did, I had to shield my eyes from the bright morning sun. Standing up, I brushed sand from my knees. I stretched and turned toward the ocean. I felt a tingle. For a second I thought it was my imagination. The longer I stared at the water, the more I wanted to pull off all my clothes and jump right in. It was almost like there was a supernatural force pulling me toward the waves. I found myself stepping toward it. One foot in front of the other. I couldn’t stop myself. I was almost there when I felt a hand on my arm.

“Hey, you ok?”

Chloe.
I snapped out of whatever stupor I’d been in.

I blinked.

“Yeah, I was just admiring the ocean."

She smiled, taking my hand. “It’s really great. It’s my first time seeing it. Well, at least the Atlantic.”

She started to talk about growing up out west and moving east a few years ago.

When she mentioned New York, I laughed.

“That’s where I’m from too.”

She smiled. “Small world, huh?”

She started talking about her hometown a bit. I only half paid attention though. I know it was rude but I couldn’t help but stare at the water. I did hear her say something about cows. I could only nod my head to it though. New York had a lot of cows and apples. She started talking about the family business when Lance shouted at us again.

“Can you guys stop yapping and help me!”

Chloe stopped talking and rolled her eyes.

“A real charmer that one, girls must be flocking to him…,” she said annoyed.

I was confused. “Wait, I thought...”

She laughed. “Only in Lance’s dreams. No, he’s my lab partner. He definitely wants to be more, but every time he tries, I just remind him that my girlfriend could kick his ass.”

Girlfriend? I was not expecting that.

She saw my confusion and only laughed more.

“C’mon, let’s help him pitch camp before he starts whining.”

It didn’t take us long to break down the tent and deal with their fire pit.

Then we were on the road back to town.

Back to whatever for me.

“You sure you want us to drop you off here?”

We were near the entrance to Neptune Park. I could see the statue from the truck. The only answer I gave Lance’s question was a quick nod. Then I climbed out of the cab. Lance stayed behind the wheel but Chloe followed me. This was all part of my “plan”. After arriving back in civilization, I used Chloe’s cell to make a call. I lied and said I was calling a friend. In truth, I called my own cell phone. It didn’t ring, which didn’t surprise me in the least. Wherever it was, it was probably not charged. Calling it though was enough of an illusion for them. When I hung up and told them I’d meet my friend here, they seemed to accept it. Which made me happy because I was tired of lying. I also didn’t want to get them involved with whatever it was that I was involved with. I certainly didn’t want to be involved in it. I didn’t even know what “it” was. All I really knew was that my “aunt” and “uncle” clearly weren’t who they said they were, and I was kidnapped. The group, and the doctor responsible, worked for someone else and now I’m pretty certain they knew what I was from the beginning.

Whatever that was.

There were far too many questions and no answers.

“You ok?” asked Chloe, gently touching my elbow.

It was a weird feeling. I’d only known her less than twenty-four hours and yet a total stranger seemed to have actual concern for me.

It was a new feeling.

Not unwelcome though.

“I’m good,” I said, lying again.

I needed to stop doing that.

Chloe turned to Lance. “I’ll be a minute or two.”

He looked annoyed but didn’t say anything.

She followed me away from the truck, toward the statue. For a few moments, neither of us said anything. She sat with me on a bench. I started fidgeting. Suddenly I felt really nervous. It had nothing to do with being close to the water either. I’m not sure, but I think it was Chloe. There was suddenly something about her, something that I’m not sure if I should be scared of. It was hard to pinpoint. I’m not even sure why I was feeling this way either. When I turned to look at her, it was almost as if those green eyes of hers could bore into my very soul. It was an unsettling feeling, but it was comforting too.

It’s also how I knew that she meant me no harm.

She sighed. “You’re a terrible liar by the way. Back at the beach, just now”

I gasped in surprise. “I didn’t...”

She patted my knee. “I understand, it’s ok. We all have our secrets. Trust me. You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” I nodded, she sighed. “Not from a boyfriend either. You’ve got some heavy shit on your plate. Trust me, I’ve been there too. Which of course makes this all the more difficult because I’d really like to help, but something keeps telling me I need to stay away. Which really pisses me off...”

She looked angry and for a moment, she glared at the sky?

She fell silent for a few seconds.

Then she bit her lip. A second after that, she took out a cash receipt then wrote something on the back. “This is my number,” she said, pushing it into my hand. “I’m not supposed to do this but you really do need help. So when the shit really hits the fan, I want you to call me, ok?”

I nodded, not sure what she was talking about.

“Lance and I will be in this area for the rest of the week…,” she said as she stood up.

I found myself standing with her.

She grabbed me, pulling me into a hug. “Take care, and watch your back,” she said gently in my ear then quietly added. “And trust her but only her.”

What?

She pulled away and smiled.

Then with that, she walked back to the truck.

“Wait!” I shouted, more confused than ever. “Who are you?”

She smiled. “I’m Nobody.”

Then she climbed into the cab and the truck pulled away.

Leaving me alone again.

I blinked.

There was something about that girl, something very strange. About as strange as me. I sat on the bench for a while, thinking about her. Then thinking about me. I was lost now. I had no money, no ID and the only clothes I had were the ones on my back. Everything I owned was gone now. My life was gone. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. There weren’t a lot of options at this point. I could try to get back to Grover. Without any money though, I’d probably have to hitchhike. It was something I might have considered before, but now that I was female, it was a scary thing to think about.

The other option was just as crazy.

Going to the Mitchells.

For one, I had no idea what their address was. I never wanted to know. I knew it was an island, and it was somewhere around here. When Tori told me I wasn’t very far the other day, I was surprised. Even if I did somehow manage to get there, I had no way of explaining who I really was. I mean, it’s not every day that your former male foster child comes knocking on your door as a teenage girl. Not to mention that once again I had no real means of getting there.

This sucked.

It really sucked.

Something else really sucked too.

I had to pee.

I’d been trying to avoid it for so long. The urge started on the ride over. I just didn’t have enough courage to ask for them to stop. Now I couldn’t deny it any longer. Cursing, I started to make my way to the little bistro across the street. It was some kind of Italian transplant, one that thankfully had a public restroom. When I reached the women's bathroom though, I couldn’t seem to step inside. I took a deep breath. It’s just a bathroom. It’s not like I was going to get arrested for stepping inside. Building up my courage, I found myself opening the door and sighing. See, I didn’t burst into flames.

I found a stall quickly though.

It was a bit weird not seeing urinals.

With my eyes closed, I finally peed.

Talk about weird.

Then, with a quick wipe and flush, I rushed to the sink. I wanted to get this over as fast as possible. The thing is, everything went into slow motion when I saw my reflection. I paused, mesmerized. The girl staring back at me was gorgeous. I could barely believe that it was me. I’d always had soft, feminine features, but I grew to ignore them and, for the most part, I learned to hide them. Most people didn’t look at the face of the strange emo boy as he walked by. The girl in the mirror was going to get a lot of attention. Those bright blue eyes, those kissable lips... I reached up and touched my face. My skin was so soft. I brushed away some hair. It was much longer now and a lighter shade of blonde. I opened my mouth, even my teeth were nice and shiny.

This was unreal.

It was as if whatever changed me had made me into the most beautiful girl it could.

I was scared.

I still had no idea what was going on or how this happened.

Grunting, I splashed some water into my face.

As soon as it touched my face, I felt a tingle.

Smiling, I left the bathroom.

Sticking my hands into my pocket, I found the slip of paper that Chloe gave me. There was something else with it, something I hadn’t noticed. Unfolding it, I found a pair of twenties. When did she do that? I would have protested if I’d seen them, but as it was, it was a nice gesture. Especially because I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had something to eat and drink. I knew I probably couldn’t afford the food at the bistro, but I found a food cart not too far down the street. I bought a couple of hotdogs and a bottle of water. I never thought something could ever taste this good.

Now that all three of my base needs were taken care of, I had to think of other needs.

Like shelter.

I had about thirty bucks left now.

Not enough for a hotel room.

I’m sure this place had a shelter somewhere, but I didn’t like my chances.

I thought while I walked.

I didn’t really know where my feet were taking me, but soon I was leaving the boardwalk and onto to the beach. Before long, I realized where I was walking. The resort. Why had I walked back here? I didn’t have my room key, and of course, at this point, my stuff was probably long gone. I had a hollow pit in my stomach thinking about losing that laptop. Especially because it was the only true way I could contact Tori. She was probably having kittens by now. If I knew her, the Coast Guard was probably out looking for me. Thinking about it made me smile, but reality quickly set in. Without my laptop and phone, that part of my life was gone.

There was the other problem too.

How would she recognize me now?

I mean, I didn’t exactly look like her brother anymore.

I sighed.

It was hopeless.

Being here was pretty hopeless too. It’s not like…

Wait.

Is that the Spencers’ car?

I stopped walking and stared in awe. Yeah, no doubt about it. That was their car and it was still parked at the bungalow. It made no sense though. Why were they still here? I mean, I thought I saw it from that helipad days ago, but I thought for sure they’d be gone by now. Then again, why would they? For all, I knew they were just on vacation. Sure, they drugged me and let Dr. Chamber’s people take me but I wasn’t sure how much involvement they had in all of this. They were bad people, but were they THE bad people? I bit my lip. I took a step toward the bungalow, keeping low and out of sight.

There were no lights on inside.

Cursing, I tried the door.

It was unlocked.

Are you kidding me?

I opened it up slowly, taking a slight peek inside. I couldn’t see anyone, but then again it was dark inside. I risked opening the door more to take a better peek. No, there was definitely no one inside. I bit my lip. Fuck it! I pushed the door open all the way and slipped inside. I still kept low, making sure it wasn’t some kind of ambush. I stayed near the door, ready to run just in case. I sat there for at least ten minutes, waiting in stealthy silence. Finally, when I was sure no one was waiting in the dark, I stood up. I let out a sigh of relief, closing and locking the door behind me.

Not worth the risk.

Stepping into the main area of the place, I was surprised to see everything where it was left. Almost as if the Spencers just left everything in a rush. You know, drugging a kid and dragging him out of the place, that probably didn’t leave a lot of time to pack. I looked around further, finally spotting what I wanted with a smile. I rushed over to my carrier bag, clutching it to my chest. Opening it up, I pulled out my laptop and sighed. It was still here. I had no reason to doubt it, but who knew? Ignoring it for a second, I rummaged in the side pocket where I found my phone. It still had a little charge left.

I checked my messages.

No surprise, there were well over thirty from Tori.

I skimmed them.

At first, she was friendly, then confused. That confusion turned to concern, then downright panic.

I felt a hollow ache in the pit of my stomach.

Poor Tori.

I thought about firing off a text, telling her I was Ok, but second-guessed it.

I’d seen the movies, I knew how these people worked.

That’s why I also knew being in here was probably a very bad idea. Sure, everything was left right where they left it, but that didn’t mean they weren’t coming back. No, the faster I was out of here, the better.

I slung the bag on my shoulder and rushed into the little bedroom area I never got a real chance to sleep in. I found my bag sitting on the bed where I left it. I rushed over, unzipped it and rummaged inside. At this point, I knew the clothes were worthless to me. They weren’t what I was after though. I always took any the cash I ever earned, rolled it up with a rubber band and never spent a cent. I stuck it in the bottom of the bag, inside a sock. I smiled when I found it, pulled it out and stuffed the wad of cash in my pocket. There were a couple hundred dollar bills there I think. Not a great fortune but enough to run with.

With my cash in hand, I dumped my clothes.

I took the empty bag and went back into the main room.

I raided the mini-fridge.

In fact, I cleaned it out.

Those bastards deserved it.

I took a quick look at their bags, wondering if they had any cash. Knowing them though, it was probably all credit cards. I was tempted for a second, but realized how stupid that was. Credit could be traced. It was Dumb Criminal 101. It was a very easy way to get caught.

Finally satisfied, I hefted my second bag on my shoulder. I turned around to head out the door only find it blocked by a figure.

A second later, the lights in the room came on.

I froze, like a deer in headlights.

“Well, you certainly are prettier than we thought,” said Mrs. Spencer with a smile.

I looked from her to the door beyond.

I thought about running, but I didn’t like my odds.

Especially with that pistol resting against her thigh.

Shit.

She smiled. “It’s good to see you again, Cassidy,” she said sweetly. “Though I’m not sure if that name is appropriate for you anymore. I’m sure we can give you another.”

“What is this?” I snapped. “What did you do to me?”

She chuckled. “Me? I did nothing. We did nothing. This is all, you honey.”

She turned her head slightly. I made a step toward her but she raised the gun, wagging it back and forth. “We have her. She sprang the motion sensors at the bungalow.”

Motion sensors?

I looked around quickly but saw nothing.

Shit, who were these people?

“I told you it was smart to keep this place up and running.”

When she spoke, her voice had an edge to it. She was completely different from that sweet woman from all those days ago. It wasn’t just her voice either. Her whole demeanor had changed. Gone was the plain soccer mom. In her place was someone severe and not to be messed with. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, she had dark eye makeup and a sneer. It matched well with her skintight leather pants and snug tank-top. This was the type of woman that a man might fear trying to pick up in a bar. Her transformation was surprising though I couldn’t help but wonder which one was the true disguise.

“Yes, I’ll secure her and make sure the chip is working this time,” she said, annoyed.

Chip?

I started to scratch my arm.

Finally, she turned to me, glaring. Her conversation was clearly over because all her attention was back on me.

“You cost me a lot of money you know,” she waved the gun at the couch. “Sit, we’re going to be keeping each other company again for a while."

I didn’t have much of a choice so I walked over to the couch and sat.

She kept the gun on me as she sat in the armchair across from me, staring.

“It’s really remarkable. When they told me about it, I didn’t believe them. Then they started showing me some of the camera feed from the penthouse. I saw some of this change...”

“Who are you?”

She scoffed. “No one important.”

“Then why do this?”

She shrugged. “Money."

I guess I wasn’t that surprised. “I was a job then?”

“A very well paid one, or it should have been anyway...”

I didn’t like the way she was glaring still.

“So if securing me was a job, then who paid you?”

She smirked. “Don’t let the good looks fool you, kid. This isn’t my first rodeo. I know what you’re doing, trying to get me to spill the beans about all of this. But I’m not falling for it. I’m a lot more trained than that...”

I looked at her bare arms. They were toned but there were no distinguishing marks. That told me she wasn’t military or at least any military that would advertise itself.

Was this training or something else?

I took a stab in the dark.

“You don’t know, do you?”

Her fidget was enough.

She had no more idea of what was truly going on than I did. It made sense I suppose. Hire a private contractor to do your dirty work for you. I couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what they all were. Some kind of private firm, maybe even security for hire. That told me whoever was fitting the bill had a lot of money to throw around. I mean, there were helicopters and automatic weapons involved. Not to mention the motion sensors and hidden cameras. Someone was going very far out of their way and all for me. I might have been flattered if I wasn’t so damn terrified.

This kind of thing reeked.

“It’s my turn for the twenty questions,” she said, smirking. I shrugged. “So what are you?”

I shrugged again. “Damned if I know. I fell out of a helicopter, woke up like this.”

She scoffed. “Fine, keep your damn secrets...”

They weren’t secrets though.

I had no idea who or what I was.

I was hoping that she might have the answers.

She licked her lips, ready to ask a few more questions when there was a knock on the door. She gave me a surprised look, then went toward the door. “That was faster than I thought."

She stood up, holstering her gun.

She stomped to the door, clearly annoyed that her “interrogation” was being interrupted.

“About damn time…,” she said, pulling open the door.

I had a good view of the door from my seat. What I saw was not at all what I expected. There was a girl there, blonde, wearing a rash shirt and jean shorts. That wasn’t what shocked me the most though. It was that I knew this girl. From the other day, at the Neptune statue. Mrs. Spencer blinked, trying to go for her gun. The girl was fast, faster than I could follow. I saw her lash out, landing a blow to my captor’s throat. It was so quick though. One minute Miss Bad-Ass-Leather-Pants was standing on her two feet, the next she was in a crumpled heap on the floor.

The blonde girl smiled, stepping over her as she walked into the room.

She looked at me. “There you are!” she said with a happy smile. “See, I told you I’d catch up with you later.”

My mouth hung open in shock.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Anything critical you have to say, PLEASE do so in a PM. Pointing out people's flaws or mistakes in a comment is hurtful and NOT appreciated.Thanks in advance...EOF